Car-coupling



(No Model.)

W. D. SANDWICH.

GAR COUPLING. I No; 275,948. j Patented Apr.'17,1'883.

UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER D. SANDVVIGH, OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,948, dated April 17, 1883.

Application filed July 21, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER D. SANDWICH, ofMontgomery,Montgomery county,Alahama, have invented a new and Improved Gar-0011pling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is the production of an automatic car-coupling which shall be cheap and practical and adapted to be used with the ordinary link, and one which will couple the cars whether the draw-heads are exactly on the same level or not.

My invention consists of a rotary head, formed or provided with a coupling pin or hook, and formed with a series of notches or their equivalents for locking the head, and formed and pivoted in the draw-head in such a manner that the coupling hook or pin will be normally held elevated, the head being adapted to be turned upon its pivot for coupling by the entrance of the link into the drawhead. The rotating head is held in coupled position by means ofa pawl adapted to drop into one or the other of" the said series of notches of the head, according to the relative height of the draw-heads of the cars.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my new and improved car-coupling, the parts being shown in uncoupled position. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the parts in coupled position; and Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the draw-head and coupler, the link being shown in section.

A represents the draw-head, which is cast with the vertical chamber a, in which chamber the rotating h'ead B is pivoted upon the pin 1). C is the link, which is of the ordinary form; and I) is the pawl, pivoted to the upper side of the draw-head upon the pin d, in position for dropping into one or the other of the notchesf, when the head B is turned into position for coupling, for locking the same in that position. The rotating head B is by preference cast circular in form, as shown in the drawings, with the coupling-hook E at its forward edge, the series of notches f at its rear or upper side, and with the straight face h,

which is parallel with and a little in the rear or above the point of the hook E. The rear or lower part, g, of this head is made heavier than the forward or upper part, and the head is so pivoted in the draw-head that the rear part, 9, will overbalance the forward part, so that when the pawl D is lifted out of engagement with the notches f the head will automatically rotate upon the pin b to the position shown in Fig. 1, carrying the coupling-hookE up out of the connecting-link, and thus automatically uncouple the cars. The parts being in this uncoupled positionthe position shown in Fig. 1-in coupling the cars, when the link enters the draw-head and is forced back, it will strike against the face h of the head B at a point below the pivot b and turn it to the position shown in Fig. 2, lowering the couplinghook and causing it to pass through and retain the link. This movement of the head also brings the notches f into position to be engaged by the pawl D, which will lock the head B, and thus complete the coupling.

To uncouple the cars it will be understood that it is only necessary to raise the pawl D out of the notch in the head 13 in which it may happen to rest, which may be done by any suitable arrangement of levers or other connections from the top, sides, or platform of the cars without the necessity of going between the cars.

In case the draw-heads of the cars to be coupled are not on the same level, the link will enter the draw-head at an angle, and the connecting-hook will pass through the link as far as its inclination will permit, and the pawl D will dropinto the first of the series of notches F, and thus retain the link. If the draw-heads are nearly on a level, the pawl will drop into the second notch of the series. If the drawheads are on a level, the pawl will drop into the last notch and hold the link in horizontal position. The series of notches in the head may be variously arranged, and may have a greater or less number of notches to accommodate all the variations in height of the cars on different roads.

Upon the sides of the rotating head B are formed the stops i for limiting the distance of forward rotation of the head by coming against the upper side of the draw-head.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to use a rotary notched head having a coupling-hook and held by a pawl; but

What I do claim as new is- In a car-coupling, the rotary head B, having the hook E, the straight face h, the projection g, and the notches f, in combination with the gravity detent-pawl D, and a draw-head slotted at top and bottom and carrying cross-piv- 

